Look back and enjoy the view

For 14 years, he climbed the career ladder at Aptean, a large technology company.

Then he left that job to start his own startup, Yocale, which connects local businesses to customers and helps them manage appointments.

Yocale has grown quickly and now has a staff of 50. During the same period, Asli became a father of two.

Balancing the demands of owning a business with family life has given Asli a new perspective on what is truly important.

“It’s not always about just the financial parts or following your passion and dream,” he said. “It’s also about family and health, which are the obvious things people miss.”

Seeing several friends struggle with cancer has made Asli realize that “time is the most sacred, most expensive resource that exists, by any means.”

He believes that consciously trying to improve his emotional intelligence has helped him deal with stress and given him a new outlook on what matters in career and life.

“By working on that, you start treating your life and work more as a journey instead of as a milestone you have to reach,” he said. “It’s almost like when you hike the [Grouse] Grind, and you want to get there and you want to get there fast, but also allowing yourself … to look back and enjoy the view.”

On changing your point of view | “The stress that we have at life and at work and following your passion, all that stuff that we do – and I’m a photographer as a hobby – the example I use is that if I can change my lens and look at it with a different lens, it gives you a different perspective